Allan Strong is a long-standing member of the self-help-alliance. Once again, thank you to Allan Strong for coming to Dunara.
Wednesday groups are open to the public in Guelph.
In 1960 NASA said it would put a man on the moon before 1970. In 1960 they had no idea how, but in 1970 they did it. That is the application of recovery principles.
Some of the questions presented by Allan:
Where are you at in your life right now?
Where do you want to go?
The process of recovery is facilitated with those simple questions. The conversation that develops because of those questions is recovery. It is a natural normal process that all people experience. The context of recovery is not limited to mental health or mental illness. Recovery is living life. Often we get caught up in the detail and structure of recovery. How do we step back and do what comes natural -which is to support each other? Even the word 'recovery' is a loaded term. The word can inspire, but it can also shut the process of recovery down.
What word or phrase would you use to define what is normal for all of us?
For Allan, it's simply, "getting on with life."
What is it for you? How do you define recovery in your terms?
Don't be afraid to dream big, just like NASA did when the decided to send someone to the moon. The first thing we should do is forget the how. The next thing we should do is remember the why.
Allan Strong contributed material to “Beyond the Crazy House” by Pat Cappon and “Beyond Crazy” by Scott Simmie. He is a former board member of the Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association of Ontario. He was also a board member of the Mood Disorders Association of Toronto. He is a current member of the Board of the Ontario Peer Development Initiative. He has been involved in countless policy and research projects with the Canadian Mental Health Association including some of the initiatives listed here: CMHA Policy and Research
Other research and initiatives Allan has been involved with,
Mental Health Recovery: Users and Refusers
Consumer Initiatives in Ontario
Recovery and support coordination in mental health in Waterloo-Wellington Dufferin: A new initiative and evaluation
Recovery in Community Mental Health Policy and Services: Implementation and Innovation
